Wozniak-Signed Apple-1 Computer With Steve Jobs Letter Sells for Record $1.15 Million
A working Apple-1 computer signed by Steve Wozniak and accompanied by a 1978 letter signed by Steve Jobs has sold for $1,148,200 at Bonhams, setting what the auction house says is a world auction record for a commercially sold Apple-1. Known as the “Hatfield” Apple-1 after its original owner, Fred Hatfield, the computer surpassed its $500,000 to $800,000 presale estimate after two bidders competed for 28 minutes before the online auction closed October 14. The final price includes the buyer’s premium.
The machine is listed as No. 48 on the Apple-1 Registry and remains operational nearly 50 years after it was built. Bonhams says fewer than 75 verified Apple-1 computers are known to survive, with only a smaller number still in working condition. Its motherboard carries Wozniak’s signature along its upper edge, adding another direct connection to one of Apple’s founders.
The accompanying Steve Jobs letter gives the computer an especially unusual provenance. Hatfield had contacted Apple about the limited software available for his Apple-1, and Jobs responded in January 1978 while serving as Apple Computer’s vice president of operations. Jobs authorized Hatfield to send back the Apple-1, without its memory, along with $400 in exchange for an Apple II 4K board.
Hatfield declined the offer and kept his Apple-1, a decision that ultimately preserved both the computer and its unusually direct link to Apple’s earliest customer service. Many Apple-1 owners accepted similar trade-in offers, making examples that can still be traced back to their original purchasers particularly difficult to find.
The computer later changed hands while no longer functioning. It was restored to working condition, and Wozniak subsequently signed the motherboard. The same Hatfield Apple-1 sold at Auction Team Breker in Germany in May 2013 for €516,461, reported at the time as approximately $671,400. That makes the new $1.148 million result roughly $477,000 higher than its 2013 auction price.
The Apple-1 itself dates to 1976 and was Apple’s first product. Wozniak designed and built the computer, while Jobs handled its marketing and sale. Approximately 200 Apple-1 computers were produced, and Bonhams describes the surviving Hatfield example as one of the most significant because of its working condition, original-owner provenance and the signatures associated with both Apple founders.
The lot also retained much of the equipment and documentation surrounding the computer. Bonhams’ pre-auction description included the Apple-1 motherboard and original Apple cassette interface, along with period equipment used to operate the machine. A 1977 Koyo video monitor, Panasonic portable cassette recorder and Apple II ASCII keyboard were among the components accompanying the computer.
While the $1.148 million price is a record for a commercially sold production Apple-1, it is not the highest price ever paid for any Apple-1-related board. The experimental “Celebration” Apple-1 board, generally categorized separately from the commercial production machines, sold for $2.75 million in January 2026.
“We are delighted with this exceptional result for the ‘Hatfield’ Apple-1, one of the most important milestones in computing history,” commented Ian Ehling, Director of Fine Books & Manuscripts, North America, Bonhams. “It was an honour to offer Apple’s first product during the company’s 50th anniversary year. Signed by Steve Wozniak and accompanied by a letter signed by Steve Jobs, it is one of the most significant Apple-1 computers ever to come to market, and the spirited competition it attracted is a testament to its rarity and enduring appeal.”
The $1,148,200 sale came during Apple’s 50th anniversary year and nearly 13 years after the same computer last appeared at auction.